


Two is Better Than One

by Monorchism



Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: ??? Kind of, Alternate Universe, Bullying, Fluff, High School, M/M, Michael Being A Dick, Michael Needs a Hug, Slow Burn, WHATS NEW LMAO, basically just a whole lot of nothing happens, insecure!Michael, lukes kinda lame, michael doesnt like luke but then he does bc u cant not like luke, no ashton bc im trash, so canon lmao, tough!michael
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-02
Updated: 2016-12-02
Packaged: 2018-09-03 17:14:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,989
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8722045
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Monorchism/pseuds/Monorchism
Summary: The way Michael saw it, everybody was born with a certain amount of possessiveness in them that they got to distribute evenly throughout all their friends and family. However, Michael only had one friend, and he was an only child whose family (aside from his parents, of course) all lived too far to ever visit. So all of Michael's designated clingy-ness got deposited into Calum. Calum, who broke tradition with Michael to hang out with Luke Hemmings. 
or
every other high school muke fic ever





	

**Author's Note:**

> im p sure someone else has a muke fic with the same title but im not positive and also idc that much

It was a tale as old as time. 

Michael was more insecure than he let on, and he hid it by talking too much and laughing too loud. There was no teacher who hadn't shouted at him at least once, but Michael didn't care - or at least, he pretended he didn't. Inside, though, he was lonely and afraid. Not many people bothered to talk to him. He only had Calum, and more often than not, Michael was pretty sure Calum was only his friend because they had been neighbours forever.

Despite his doubts, Calum was the only one who put up with him, and Michael relied on him so much. If Cal were to ever leave, Michael was pretty sure his entire existence would deflate. He didn't know what that meant, exactly, but he was sure it would happen. 

Calum wasn't insanely popular, but he had more friends than Michael did. (But let's be honest, one isn't hard to beat.) Still, though, he considered Michael to be his best friend, and made sure to tell him all the time. They hung out after school more often than not, and weekends were always reserved to spend time with each other, unless there was a required family event.

Which is why, when Calum bailed on Michael one Saturday, Michael got a bit upset. He liked to believe he was pretty understanding, though, as his family had pulled him away from his plans a few times and he knew how it felt. Except, Calum didn't cancel on him due to his family. No, Calum ditched him because he had plans with someone else. 

The way Michael saw it, everybody was born with a certain amount of possessiveness in them that they got to distribute evenly throughout all their friends and family. However, Michael only had one friend, and he was an only child whose family (aside from his parents, of course) all lived too far to ever visit. So all of Michael's designated clingy-ness got deposited into Calum. Calum, who broke tradition with Michael to hang out with Luke Hemmings. 

Michael had nothing against Luke. He was a pretty boy, shy, daydreamed more than studied. Maybe, in an alternate universe, one where Luke didn't steal his best friend away from him, Michael thought they could have been friends. 

He was insecure, he'd admit it (alone in a sealed, soundproof room with no chance of anyone ever knowing he'd said it), but he wasn't good at dealing with it. When he thought his only friend started liking someone else more than him, he lashed out. Mostly inwardly. He lashed...in?

Luke didn't deserve it. Michael knew Luke didn't deserve it, but he did it anyway. Nothing drastic; he didn't beat the poor kid up or anything. Just, whenever he saw Luke in school or at the grocery store, he'd give him the meanest glare he could muster. He refused to speak to him on the rare occasion that Calum brought him along to their table in the cafeteria. He wouldn't even look at him unless he was imagining lasers shooting out of his eyes and singeing Luke's stupid, blond hair. 

It's not like he thought Luke was purposely trying to take Calum away, he just wanted to make sure there was absolutely no chance of it happening. He was nothing special, and he knew it would only take a moment of Calum thinking about it for him to realize how lame Michael was and decide to trade him in for something better. Luke, apparently, was Something Better.

And Michael was terrified. More scared, even, then when he and Calum had watched all the horror DVD's his mother had forbade him from ever watching. He needed Calum in his life; he loved him. He didn't want to be alone.

So Luke, unfortunately, got the short end of the stick. For an entire year, Michael did nothing but shoot him mean looks and scoff whenever he tried to say something clever. Eventually, he stopped accepting Calum's invites to spend lunch with them, and Michael was pleased. Well, at least until he realized that Calum had taken to hanging out with Luke outside of school where Michael wasn't around to be a jerk, thus cutting down on the time Michael got to spend with his best friend. 

Sometimes, on very rare occasions, Calum would choose to spend lunch with Luke, leaving Michael sitting all alone for an hour. It was in those lonely hours that he truly realized how much he depended on Cal. Every time he left him there, alone, Michael spent the whole time forcing himself not to cry. Calum, being the absolute angel he is, always invited Michael to come along. Michael always denied under the guise that he didn't like Luke, but really, he was scared that Luke wouldn't let him sit at his table. 

Of course, Calum knew why Michael treated Luke like shit. They had been best friends since before they could speak - he saw right through every front Michael put up. Any time he tried to talk to Michael about it, though, or assure him that he wasn't trying to replace him, Mike would just get mad and yell about how he didn't give a shit, and how Calum could do whatever the fuck he wanted. Calum got to see that side of Michael, but he also got to see his vulnerable side, where he called Calum in the middle of the night, sobbing, begging him to come over because I can't breathe, oh god, Cal, I think I'm dying, fuck. 

So, in short, Michael wasn't very fond of Luke. 

But after a year, it became pretty clear that Calum actually considered Luke a friend, and wasn't trying to leave Michael behind. Michael felt like an idiot, and he kind of wanted to let Luke in, but he wasn't sure how, or if Luke would even let him.

Somehow, for some unknown reason, Michael was seen as tough. Nobody wanted to mess with him, afraid that he would beat them up (even though Michael had yet to get into a fist-fight with anyone). He figured it was because of his brash and uncaring attitude, and the fact that he never had a reason to smile in class, unless he was with Calum, so he always looked mad. It might have also had something to due with the fact that he was sort of a loner.

He never tried to encourage the reputation, but he also never tried to make it go away. He just let people think what they wanted. It came in handy sometimes, though, because the actual tough guys never bothered him. Sometimes, Michael thought they maybe even respected him, as they would occasionally nod at him in the halls. One time, one of them even offered Michael a fist bump when they passed by each other.

But he was late. He had slept in, and he was late. And because he was late, he got to witness said Tough Guys backing Luke into a row of lockers. They were laughing, mostly surrounding him, but Michael could see through a crack between them that Luke was cowering, shaking, maybe even crying. Suddenly, Michael recalled a conversation he'd had with Calum a couple weeks before. Calum had been rambling on and on about how Luke had a black eye and wouldn't tell him what it was from. Michael's jaw clenched as he saw the way the group was leering at Luke, shoving his shoulder even though he couldn't back up any more. Luke was talking, pleading with the group to leave him alone, that he had to get to class. Michael had a pretty good idea where the black eye came from.

And Michael didn't like Luke, but he wasn't a total dick.

"Oi," He called, trying his hardest to look casual. He even went so far as to lean against the wall a few feet from where Luke was being cornered, and yeah, he was definitely crying.

Every one of them turned to him, almost at once, and Michael was terrified, but he refused to show it. Luke, Certified Angel, sagged in relief as soon as his eyes landed on Michael, which made Michael feel like shit. He had been nothing but rude to the kid, yet Luke trusted him enough to think he could save him from what looked like a pretty bad pummelling in the making. And god, he was gonna do it. After seeing the way Luke relaxed completely, having so much faith in him, Michael was gonna do it; was gonna stop eight very tall, very strong guys from beating Luke up.

"Hey, Mike." One of them said casually, like he wasn't holding Luke by his shirt-collar. 

Michael just nodded, keeping his composure. "What's going on?"

A few of the guys glanced at each other, clearly confused at the weird way Michael was acting. Then, the same guy who spoke before, shrugged. "Nothin'."

Michael tongued his cheek, letting out a puff of air that might have been considered a very sarcastic laugh.

"Nothing. Right. Well, let's keep it that way, yeah?" 

Silence. Michael was about to crack. He was sure they were about to turn on him. Eight against two...yeah, he'd be fucked. Slowly, the fingers grasping Luke's shirt slipped away. Michael watched the movement with baited breath. He hoped they couldn't see how scared he was.

"You friends with him?" One of them said, followed by a jerked thumb in Luke's direction. Luke flinched.

No. No, he wasn't friends with Luke. But he should have been. "Yeah,"

There was a moment of nothing, and Michael felt his legs wobbling, but then they all took a step back. One of them even held his hands up in surrender, laughing slightly. 

"Sorry, man, we didn't know." 

Then, just like that, they left.

Michael and Luke both stayed frozen until the group were completely out of sight, and then Michael was slumping against the lockers, exhausted. 

"Holy shit," Michael breathed, laughing. "I can't believe that worked."

Luke charged at him, flinging himself into Michael's arms and burying his face in Michael's neck. Michael could feel the smile against his skin. It was nice. Almost instinctively, he was hugging Luke back, laughing into his hair.

"Thank you, Michael." Luke mumbled.

"I was so sure they were gonna kill us both," Michael admitted, feeling slightly hysterical. 

Luke pulled away, grinning and shaking his head. "I knew you could do it."

"I know you did. God, you should have seen your face when I...Fuck, Luke, I'm sorry." 

Michael pulled him back in to his chest, shaking. He felt like he needed to be holding Luke to prove that this was real. He was buzzing with adrenaline, even though he didn't do anything besides say a few words. He kind of felt like a hero. 

"Fuck," He breathed, still awed. 

"That was amazing." Luke told him.

"Why didn't you tell Cal?" Michael suddenly asked, referring to the bullying. 

Calum was considered pretty cool. He could have said something to the guys doing it and they probably would have listened. Problem solved.

"I didn't want him to think I was lame." Luke admitted quietly, pressing his forehead to Michael's shoulder in embarrassment. 

Michael squeezed him, fond and comforting. "You are lame, Luke. That's part of your charm." 

After that, Michael made the executive decision that they couldn't possibly stay in school after such an event, and told Luke to come to his house and sleep off the terror they both experienced. He also texted Calum, who sprinted out of the class he was in and was engulfing them both in hugs before they even got out of the parking lot. 

After a day spent with them both, Michael decided Luke wasn't so bad. He mentally added him to his friends list. After all, two is better than one.

**Author's Note:**

> uh???? hope you liked it?  
> Follow me on tumblr @monorchism (i dont post much muke but i could talk about them for years)


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